When the Hero is Weak
by JRWStudios
Summary: Amelia doesn't like to let certain things on, especially who she may or may not have a crush on. But when she doesn't make it to a world meeting and some of her friends head out to where she was last seen to try and find her, how will her crush's attempts at helping leave her feeling about him when it's all said and done? Characters belong to Himaruya
Amelia did her best to keep her breathing even as she jogged down the very _uneven_ trail that ran through the woods near her hotel. She only had about three hours left before the world meeting, so she knew she wouldn't be jogging too far if she wanted to make it back in time to shower and change. After all, she didn't want to go to a meeting dressed in her baby blue booty shorts and white tank-top.

Looking up the trail she picked out a spot where she would stop for a moment before heading back: a tall old tree with large, twisted roots that stuck out of the ground in many places. It was a good spot - she could sit on a root to rest before she turned around. However as she neared it, one thing became glaringly clear: the path she was on sloped suddenly downward, becoming more and more precarious the closer she got to the sudden slope..

Figuring the areas recent rainstorms might have washed away part of the trail, Amelia began to slow her pace, but was unprepared for her foot to land on a loose stone, one large enough to unbalance her just enough for her to go sideways. As she tried to catch herself, she got another surprise when she stepped backwards on another, larger rock, that made her fall to the ground. The woman couldn't help the scream that escaped her when she hit the ground, only to began to roll down the slope, cutting herself up on the rocks and roots, before she found out the hard way what was at the bottom.

The air was forced out of her lungs when she finally landed at the bottom of the unnoticeable hole that was at the bottom of the slope. She wheezed, and tried to get up, but only collapsed again.

"Of all the times to not have my cell phone…"

* * *

"Hey, has anyone seen America?" England had a clearly worried expression on his face as he walked into the meeting room, and it made most of the other countries fall quiet. "She was supposed to ride with me over here but she never showed up, and she's not answering her cell phone."

"Quoi?" Now even France looked worried. "That woman is always connected to her phone!"

"That's why I'm worried! Sure she usually ignores my first call, but when I call right back she always answers no matter what! I've called her _ten_ times and gotten no answer."

Germany walked over to the little group that was gathering around the Brit. "I saw her leaving the hotel this morning when I came back from my run. She said she was going jogging on one of the trails behind the place."

Prussia nodded. "She said she wouldn't be gone too long."

Russia smiled, putting a hand on both the boy's shoulders. "I can go look for her while you guys get the meeting started."

"No way! Like we'd trust _you_ to go find her! You'd probably try to bury her alive or something!"

"Not unless she asked me too." He chuckled, turning to leave. "I'll be going~!"

"Not without me!"

"Oui!"

Germany watched the trio leave, then looked over the remaining countries. "We'll give them two hours, then we go out ourselves. For now, let's just use this time to get everything together for the meeting. Italy, I _know_ you don't have your stuff prepared."

"What~ no! Of course I do!"

* * *

"Alright, there are two trails back here. If she said she wouldn't be gone long she probably went down the shorter trail. France and I will take that one. Russia, you take the longer trail in case she went down it instead. America is unpredictable, she might've thought she could make it to the end and back."

"Da." Russia smiled, humming quietly under his breath as he parted from the blonds, heading down the rockier path. However once he was out of earshot of the two his demeanor changed from his usual childish happiness to a pure, unadulterated worry. The man began to run down the path, hoping he would be the one to find the head-strong woman. He knew better than anyone how she would react to one of her former guardians if they found her. Not only would she probably cuss them out, she would be utterly embarrassed to look weak in front of the two men she had first felt she needed to be strong in front of.

"America!" He called out, being careful to watch where he put his feet so he didn't stumble. "Amelia?!"

* * *

Amelia scowled as she tried to wrestle her leg free from the twisted roots that kept it trapped. She didn't believe in using her strength to break free from things like this: she had been raised a Native after all, and even though she had been called a hippie many times for it she wouldn't damage anything that was vital for life, no matter what life it was vital for. As thick as the roots were that held her, she figured they had to be some of the main roots to the tree above her.

After another failed escape, she sighed and leaned against the dirt wall. She figured she would rest, clear her head, then figure out a way to get out without damaging the roots. However it was scrabbling above her that made her thoughts clear immediately, but not to formulate an escape plan.

"Whoa!" Amelia's head jerked up, and her eyes went wide when she saw Ivan tumble down into the hole, but unlike her he didn't land amongst the roots, so when he landed he didn't have the air knocked out of him. The man groaned, holding his head for a moment before he got to his knees, and that's when he noticed her. He looked up, and smiled brightly when he saw her.

"America!"

"Russia?! What are you doing here?"

"After you didn't meet England to come to the meeting, he went to the conference hall to find out if anyone had seen you. Then when he found out you went out for a jog and didn't come back, him, France and me, well we came to find you! They took the first trail though, and sent me down this one." He looked up. "How deep is this?"

"Ten feet, maybe more. Hey, if you help me get out of these roots you could lift me up and I could see if I can get out. Then you can climb up using the roots and I can pull you up the rest of the way."

"Da." Ivan smiled, and squeezed up close to her in the tight spot where she was trapped, maneuvering his large body the best he could. Amelia blushed fiercely as her skin was tickled and brushed against many times by his jacket, his smell washing over her all the while. It was an intoxicating mixture of vodka and coal and sweat, and as close as he was that scent was starting to get to her. Sure she had always wondered about things like that; how did he smell, what did his hands feel like, stuff like that. She got the answer to both questions when his ungloved hands brushed against her uncovered legs, trying to be gentle as he worked to free her from the vines. He looked up at her with a smile when he was done, and stood in front of her with his fingers interlaced.

"Up you go!"

"Yeah." she nodded, putting her hands up on his shoulders. "Uhm, could you squat down a little?"

Ivan nodded, doing as he was told, but jerked back a little when the woman's chest got a little too close to his face for his comfort. Amelia blushed, she hadn't meant for that to happen, and she definitely didn't want him to think she had. She chose to push the embarrassment down, putting her foot in his hand and allowing him to lift her. The man looked away from her when she had to put a knee on his shoulder, lest she lose her balance again, then back up at her when some dirt fell on his head. He was met by a perfect view of…

Well Arthur would have killed him for seeing what he was seeing, but he was quickly distracted when Amelia dug her fingers into the dirt just beyond the entrance to the hole. She started to scramble up and over, but yelped when the dirt collapsed under her, sending her back down onto of Ivan, and making him fall to his ass from the sudden increase of weight.

"Sorry!" She yelped, trying to get off of him but cringed visibly when she tried to move her leg. Ivan looked down her back to her oddly twisted ankle, sitting up carefully with her on his lap. Amelia's blush returned when his hand slid down her leg, pausing just below her scraped and dirty knee to adjust how she sat so he could look at her injury.

"It's not broken. If you stay still for a few minutes it should heal right up." He looked back at her face, and his look turned worried when he saw how red she was. "Do you have a fever? Have you been here too long?"

"It's just… a little hot down here is all. I'm surprised you're not sweating under that scarf and jacket."

"I am, it just doesn't bother me that much." He shifted, reaching inside his jacket to retrieve his cell phone. After looking at it for a moment he frowned and put it back. "No signal. We're going to have to try and climb out again."

Now it was Amelia's turn to frown, looking down at her ankle before she slowly stood. Ivan let her step back before he got to his feet. He looked past her at the roots.

"If one of us can climb up the tree…"

"We already know the ground won't hold near the hole, so we'd both have to climb either way."

"Well if it's our only shot to get out."

"Russia you climb up first." Amelia stepped up to him so they could change places. "If the tree holds you we know it will hold me, but that might not work the other way around."

"Da." he nodded, turning and staring up the tree. It's roots made for a good place to start as he began to climb up to the surface. "It's holding fine so far."

"Don't jinx it." The woman watched in worry, really not wanting to be stuck in the hole any longer than she had been already. Ivan managed to make it up the tree and to the solid ground beside it, then kneeled down to look at her.

"Can you make it up?"

"Sure." she stepped up on the roots, really paying attention so she didn't get stuck in them again. Mustering up the rest of her strength (and really wishing she had eaten before she left the hotel) Amelia reached up for a hand hold, trying to mimic her fellow country's movements as she pulled herself up the tree. Ivan held out his hand to her as she got up to him, and was pleased when she accepted it. Pulling her out, he was happy to have her back on her feet. Out of the trap, Amelia seemed to regain some of that crazy American energy, and jumped on the taller man, wrapping her arms around him.

"Oh thank god I'm out of there!"

"I better call England and let him know."

"Do it on the way back. I can't stay in these woods any longer."

"Da!" Ivan smiled, pulling out his phone then grabbing Amelia's hand to hold as he started walking down the trail.

{ _Russia, any luck?_ }

"Da, she fell in a deep hole and couldn't get out. I'm taking her back to her room so she can get cleaned up and eat. You two should head back to the meeting and let Germany know."

{ _What?! And leave her with you?! No way!_ }

"It's what she wants England." Ivan snapped his phone closed, smiling brightly at his companion. She gave him a relieved look, leaning against his arm.

"Thanks… I don't want to deal with him right now."

"Usually you'd say that about me!"

"For a different reason though. England's just annoying. You… uh…"

"Are still communist in your eyes." His smile fell.

"No, no, I'm over that."

"Than what is it?" Amelia stopped, and Ivan looked down at her. "Amelia?"

"You're… my weakness."

"Well that's alright." He smiled when she looked up at him. "That's just fine."

"Eh?"

Ivan smirked, arching an eyebrow. "Amelia, do you really think I'm as oblivious as I act? I'm not nearly as childish as I pretend to be, that's just the only way the other's see me."

"It was a trick?" Amelia gasped. "Oh my god everything you've done makes so much sense now."

"Doesn't it though?" He smiled. "But we really should focus on you right now. Come on."

* * *

Bonus: At the Meeting

"Alright, if she's fine then where the hell is she?"

"Russia said he was taking her back to her hotel room to clean up and eat. I don't know if they'll actually come though."

"Of course we will!" That obnoxious American laugh echoed through the room a mere moment before the doors slammed open. Russia followed America into the room, smiling that childish smile of his as he stopped at her side. She sucked down a Starbucks frappe as she held Russia's hand, dragging him along behind her to her seat. When the straw left her mouth again she grinned at Germany.

"You let's get this meeting started already! I got places to be tonight!"

"What?! You're the reason this meeting is running so late America!"

"No, shotty trail maintenence is why the meeting is running late so shut up and get started!"

"You're in no position to give orders right now."

"Bitch, I just spent four hours stuck in a thirteen foot hole, tangled in tree roots for the majority of that time. I will personally ensure that you _spend the night_ in that hole if you don't shut up."

"Tch."

America exchanged a smirk with Russia, allowing him to hand her his trusty "magic pipe". She held it in her hands and grinned at Germany, then turned to the rest of the countries. The sight of the two superpowers getting along that well, well it was enough for everyone else to get to their seats. Even Germany sat down, not really wanting to be split again. She gave her new partner in crime a grin.

"Alright everyone, you know the rules, so let's get started already. Who has something to discuss?"


End file.
